Meet Meep

All images in this post have been designed by Johan Hellberg and are being used with permission from Frojo Apps. If you’d like to use their images, please contact them directly for permission; they’re friendly and quick to respond.

This virtual pet app for Android is unlike any other I’ve come across so far. Most free virtual pet apps get stale rather quickly either because the in-game currency is too difficult to earn or there just isn’t enough variety in the game to keep it interesting. Meep, along with its sister apps (Baby Dino, Joy, Loy, and the Moy series), do not fall prey to these mistakes. Though there is some crossover in design, UI, and the mini games within the Frojo Apps franchise, each application is unique enough to stand on its own. The company, which is based in Sweden, has built a stable of kid-friendly games with lovable characters that truly blow me away.

Meep’s mini games feature animated visual instructions that make it easy for young children to follow. Here is a screen capture of instructions from an evolution mini game where two like creatures are combined to create a more evolved creature:

By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.

There is also a music menu where players can use a virtual keyboard, a drum kit, a guitar, or sing into a microphone. As a former music teacher, the virtual guitar is my favorite because it allows children to experiment with different chord progressions and acclimate their ears to what works and what doesn’t.

By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.

When creating mini games geared towards harnessing creativity, Meep doesn’t stop at music. It also touches on visual arts through painting and virtual building blocks, both pictured below:

By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.

For the less artistically inclined, Meep also has mini games that can help children develop more practical skills like grocery shopping, gardening, and keeping multiple pets.

By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.

There is even a garage where players can alter the tires, suspension, and engine of their vehicles for use in a driving mini game.

By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.

As with most virtual pet games, there are hunger, happiness, cleanliness, energy level, and appearance customization components to caring for your Meep. But with 23 mini games in addition to the ones already mentioned, there is always something to do:

By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.

The only real downside to this app is that there’s no option in the settings area to upgrade to an ad free version of it. Like most free apps, Meep has banner ads at the top of every screen and occasional pop-up videos that appear when switching between mini games. In general, the way that advertisements are handled on the platform is relatively non-invasive, and none of them have included anything inappropriate for children.

Update: It turns out you can upgrade to an ad-free version of the game by purchasing the in-game diamond packages which are as cheap as $1.

All in all, Meep is a great app for anyone who has kids or just loves casual games with adorable characters.

By Johan Hellberg; used with permission from Frojo Apps.

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